Election Day is here; candidates for municipal races plentiful

Junious Smith III / Staff Writer

Monday

Nov 4, 2013 at 12:01 AMNov 4, 2013 at 10:43 PM

Numerous positions in Lenoir, Greene and Jones counties on the line

Today, the people will speak.

After months of campaigning, meeting the public and participating in forums, the public will have the opportunity to vote in candidates from Lenoir, Greene and Jones County they believe will represent them best.

In Lenoir County, the three mayoral candidates for Kinston — Ralph Clark, John Marks and B.J. Murphy — plan on waiting for the results in different areas.

Clark said he plans on waiting at the Board of Elections and has appreciated the ability to interact with the residents during the election.

“This has been a great experience,” Clark said. “I’ve met so many people in Kinston I’ve never met in my life. I’ve been able to hear their needs and get a better understanding. If I’m elected mayor, I’ll be in a better position to address needs the community and I’m better for the experience, win or lose.”

Marks said he more than likely will be at the Increasing Miracles Outreach Center on East King Street, showing gratitude to each person who has filled out a ballot, or plans to today.

“I’d like to thank all of the citizens in Kinston who voted early, and those who did not vote have a chance to go to the precincts,” Marks said. “I ask them to vote their hearts for the candidates they believe will be most prominent in this city.”

Murphy will be hoping to hear news about his reelection at the Woodmen Community Center. The incumbent believes the rise of Kinston will give people a reason not to change leadership.

“Before you go vote, you need to ask yourself this question: Do you believe the city of Kinston is on an upward trend?,” Murphy said. “If so, there’s no reason to change the leadership.”

The eight city council candidates — Teddra Hussey-Smith, Marc McKnight, Adrien Meadows, John Nix, Lennie Peterson, Robbie Swinson, Carol Tokarski and Wynn Whittington — will differ some in where they plan on hearing the results.

Hussey-Smith said she would either wait at home or at one of the precincts, looking for a spot on the board so she can give the residents assurance.

“They can place their confidence in me to bring a different voice and different view,” Hussey-Smith said. “In doing that, I’ll always carry with me their concerns and issues they deal with to the city council. The position does represent the citizens.”

Nix will have a celebration at a private party held in close proximity of the Board of Elections, encouraging residents to vote.

“The people have a choice in who they elect,” Nix said. “It’s important to go out, vote and elect people who would be good stewards of tax dollars. I have a lot of hope for Kinston and I’ve worked hard over past few years to improve Downtown.”

Peterson said he would be at the Board of Elections, but also plans on getting in a good workout beforehand. Peterson said he will go on a 10-mile run across the city, hitting Carey and Hardee Road, Queen Street and Vernon Avenue.

“I would hope they give me a chance to serve them and I’ll do my best for them,” he said.

Swinson, the only candidate currently with a seat on the city council, will be at the Board of the Elections, looking for his third term on the board.

“I hope we can get people out there to vote, and I hope I’ve done a good enough job to get reelected,” Swinson said.

Whittington will be at the Board of Elections as well, encouraging citizens to vote.

“Certainly, I want them to vote for me so I can represent them, but they should get out and vote to have a say in who does,” Whittington said. “They should be informed, go to the podcasts and forums, listen to what we all have to say and make an educated vote.”

Attempts to reach Meadows, McKnight and Tokarski failed.

In Pink Hill, incumbents Marion Mitchell and Mike Hill are looking to maintain their seats, while Debra Grady and Robin King Whaley seek to get on the board. There are two seats open.

In contrast, La Grange will have an unopposed race, as the three town commissioners — David Holmes, Nicky Lee and Bobby Wooten — will all be reelected.

In Greene County, most races will be run unopposed, including the mayor positions in Snow Hill, Walstonburg and Hookerton.

In fact, the only race with any drama will be between the five candidates going for the three seats for town commissioner in Snow Hill. Incumbents Rebecca Scarborough, Geraldine Shackleford and Bobby Taylor are seeking reelection, while Roger Whitson and Rosa Wilkes are hoping to get on the board.

Jones County will be the only county with a referendum people can vote on. The fire tax will be up to be voted for or against, but not for the municipal race.

In Trenton, Robert Horvath and Charles Jones will be seeking reelection for town commissioner, with Danny Blackwell and Daniel Johnson Willis looking to attain seat on the board. There are three openings.

Maysville is the only town amongst the three counties with two opposed races in the town besides Kinston. Phillip Tooker and Edward Waltz will be going for the position of mayor, while the five incumbents — Janet Baker, Schumata Brown, David Chatman, Bobby Flowers and Dan Ryan — look to ward off Brenda Foy, Rick Gawlowski and Elaine White for the five seats on the town commissioner board.

Junious Smith III can be reached at 252-559-1077 and Junious.Smith@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JuniousSmithIII.

Get out and vote!

Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. in all voting booths. Here are the places citizens can vote:

LENOIR COUNTY

Kinston

Precinct 1: Carver Court Recreation Room, 301 E. Bright St.

Precinct 2: Gordon Street Christian Church, 118 E. Gordon St.

Precinct 3: Fairfield Recreation Center, 850 Greenbriar Rd.

Precinct 4: Northwest School, 1701 Old Well Rd.

Precinct 5: Spilman Baptist Church, 1900 Queens Rd.

Precinct 6: Teachers’ Memorial School, 500 Marcella Dr.

Precinct 7: Emma Webb Recreation Center, 1316 McAdoo St.

Precinct 8: Holloway Recreation Center, 101 N. Myrtle Ave.

Precinct 9: First Pentecostal Holiness Church, 711 Phillips Rd.

Notes: Those in the Neuse and Southwest districts will vote at Precinct 1; those in the Falling Creek district will vote at Precinct 3; those in the Vance district will vote at Precinct 9

La Grange

La Grange Volunteer Fire Station, 119 E. Railroad St.

Pink Hill

Rescue Building, 305 S. Central Ave.

GREENE COUNTY

Snow Hill

Greene County Senior Center, 104 Greenridge Rd.

Hookerton

Hookerton Fire Station, 404 E. Main St.

Walstonburg

Walstonburg Fire Station, 409 N. Wilson St.

Maury Sanitary Land District

Maury Fire Station, 3659 Hwy 903 North

JONES COUNTY

Trenton

Trenton Fire Department, 105 S. Cherry St.

Pollocksville

Pollocksville Fire Department, 308 2nd Street

Maysville

Maysville Fire Department, 404 Main St.

Fire Districts

Comfort Fire Department, 4255 Hwy 41 West, Trenton

Hargett Cross Roads, 8114 Hwy 41, Richlands

Wyse Fork EMS building, 6721 Wyse Fork Road, Dover

BREAKOUT BOX2:

The candidates

Here is the list of those who have filed for today’s elections in Lenoir, Greene and Jones counties.